Obama’s Greatest Speech to Date
I was literally blown away by the Cairo speech to the Islamic world, its content and its tone, especially in light of the previous eight years. Sure, there are a few expected nods to American exceptionalism, but the Catholic themes of unity and peace really struck a chord. This is an incredibly important speech, an unprecedented speech, and is a necessary reminder that Obama was indeed the better candidate in the last election. The Vatican also expressed its appreciation.
Let me quote what I consider the highlights.
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The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of co-existence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam.
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So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. This cycle of suspicion and discord must end.
I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings.
I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, “Be conscious of God and speak always the truth.” That is what I will try to do – to speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart.
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So let there be no doubt: Islam is a part of America. And I believe that America holds within her the truth that regardless of race, religion, or station in life, all of us share common aspirations – to live in peace and security; to get an education and to work with dignity; to love our families, our communities, and our God. These things we share. This is the hope of all humanity.
Of course, recognizing our common humanity is only the beginning of our task. Words alone cannot meet the needs of our people. These needs will be met only if we act boldly in the years ahead; and if we understand that the challenges we face are shared, and our failure to meet them will hurt us all.
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Indeed, none of us should tolerate these extremists. They have killed in many countries. They have killed people of different faiths – more than any other, they have killed Muslims. Their actions are irreconcilable with the rights of human beings, the progress of nations, and with Islam. The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind. The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism – it is an important part of promoting peace.
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And finally, just as America can never tolerate violence by extremists, we must never alter our principles. 9/11 was an enormous trauma to our country. The fear and anger that it provoked was understandable, but in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our ideals. We are taking concrete actions to change course. I have unequivocally prohibited the use of torture by the United States, and I have ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed by early next year.
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Threatening Israel with destruction – or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews – is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.
On the other hand, it is also undeniable that the Palestinian people – Muslims and Christians – have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. For more than sixty years they have endured the pain of dislocation. Many wait in refugee camps in the West Bank, Gaza, and neighboring lands for a life of peace and security that they have never been able to lead. They endure the daily humiliations – large and small – that come with occupation. So let there be no doubt: the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable. America will not turn our backs on the legitimate Palestinian aspiration for dignity, opportunity, and a state of their own.
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Palestinians must abandon violence. Resistance through violence and killing is wrong and does not succeed. For centuries, black people in America suffered the lash of the whip as slaves and the humiliation of segregation. But it was not violence that won full and equal rights. It was a peaceful and determined insistence upon the ideals at the center of America’s founding. This same story can be told by people from South Africa to South Asia; from Eastern Europe to Indonesia. It’s a story with a simple truth: that violence is a dead end. It is a sign of neither courage nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping children, or to blow up old women on a bus. That is not how moral authority is claimed; that is how it is surrendered.
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At the same time, Israelis must acknowledge that just as Israel’s right to exist cannot be denied, neither can Palestine’s. The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements. This construction violates previous agreements and undermines efforts to achieve peace. It is time for these settlements to stop.
Israel must also live up to its obligations to ensure that Palestinians can live, and work, and develop their society. And just as it devastates Palestinian families, the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel’s security; neither does the continuing lack of opportunity in the West Bank. Progress in the daily lives of the Palestinian people must be part of a road to peace, and Israel must take concrete steps to enable such progress.
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Too many tears have flowed. Too much blood has been shed. All of us have a responsibility to work for the day when the mothers of Israelis and Palestinians can see their children grow up without fear; when the Holy Land of three great faiths is the place of peace that God intended it to be; when Jerusalem is a secure and lasting home for Jews and Christians and Muslims, and a place for all of the children of Abraham to mingle peacefully together as in the story of Isra, when Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (peace be upon them) joined in prayer.
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I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmed America’s commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.
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Among some Muslims, there is a disturbing tendency to measure one’s own faith by the rejection of another’s. The richness of religious diversity must be upheld – whether it is for Maronites in Lebanon or the Copts in Egypt. And fault lines must be closed among Muslims as well, as the divisions between Sunni and Shia have led to tragic violence, particularly in Iraq.
Likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit – for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism.
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Our daughters can contribute just as much to society as our sons, and our common prosperity will be advanced by allowing all humanity – men and women – to reach their full potential. I do not believe that women must make the same choices as men in order to be equal, and I respect those women who choose to live their lives in traditional roles. But it should be their choice.
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I know that for many, the face of globalization is contradictory. The Internet and television can bring knowledge and information, but also offensive sexuality and mindless violence. Trade can bring new wealth and opportunities, but also huge disruptions and changing communities. In all nations – including my own – this change can bring fear. Fear that because of modernity we will lose of control over our economic choices, our politics, and most importantly our identities – those things we most cherish about our communities, our families, our traditions, and our faith.
But I also know that human progress cannot be denied. There need not be contradiction between development and tradition.
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I know there are many – Muslim and non-Muslim – who question whether we can forge this new beginning. Some are eager to stoke the flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress. Some suggest that it isn’t worth the effort – that we are fated to disagree, and civilizations are doomed to clash. Many more are simply skeptical that real change can occur. There is so much fear, so much mistrust. But if we choose to be bound by the past, we will never move forward. And I want to particularly say this to young people of every faith, in every country – you, more than anyone, have the ability to remake this world.
All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an effort – a sustained effort – to find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings.
It is easier to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is also one rule that lies at the heart of every religion – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoples – a belief that isn’t new; that isn’t black or white or brown; that isn’t Christian, or Muslim or Jew. It’s a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the heart of billions. It’s a faith in other people, and it’s what brought me here today.
We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written.
The Holy Koran tells us, “O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another.”
The Talmud tells us: “The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace.”
The Holy Bible tells us, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God’s vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may God’s peace be upon you.
Comments are closed.
I thought overall not bad at all. THough have some major quibbles with parts of it and wish he had been a tad more blunt in areas.
Where he was very blunt , and perhaps more blunt than other PResidents, was telling arab governments to quit using the Israel/Palestine issue to get their problems off the radar screen.
As to tone and content it is was good. Though it is not much different that the Bush 2008 Economic Forum Speech in most parts in tone and content.
On the basis of this speech, Commonweal has decided Obama is the new St. Francis. Which is better than America, I suppose, where he is touted as the new Jesus.
Am I glad the President of the US is speaking to the Muslim world about peace through mutual respect rather than through warfare? Certainly. Does this particular talk strike me as rapturously scintillating? Not really. It actually reminded me of stuff Bush used to say while the War in Iraq was going at full strength.
They did not say he is the new St. Francis, they said that everyboy should learn from St. Francis in showing respect to the Islamic world. Bush never showed such respect. He was a utopianist who wanted to kill the “evildoers” and remake the region in his own image.
An OK speech for a secular leader. It doesn’t read too different from W – all people want the same things, all religions are about seeking peace, blah blah blah. I did not hear the delivery, but I am sure it was delivered very well in O’s style.
In substance, not much different from W; in style, much better.
It made a big difference in who was saying the words, though, and their respective histories and actions with respect to the Muslim world.
I still think O’s oratory skills are highly overrated (I would rate Bill Clinton or Reagan much higher), but then W set the bar so low, it doesn’t take much.
How about judging the effect of the speech on the Arab streets by actually listening to the reaction of the Arab street instead of arrogantly declaring this speech to be good for Muslims? And the Muslim world has spoken… by comparing Obama to Bush. The most positive response to the speech came from Israel.
“There’s an unjust perspective on the part of the American president toward the Palestinian issue, one that does not differ from former President Bush’s and the neoconservatives’ perspective.” – Muslim Brotherhood
“Speaking about a policy of pursuing a war against extremism and working towards two states for peoples on Palestinian lands is no different from the policy of his predecessor, George W Bush.” – Hamas
“The Islamic world does not need moral or political sermons.” – Hezbollah
“We share President Obama’s hope that the American effort heralds the opening of a new era that will bring an end to the conflict and to general Arab recognition of Israel as the nation of the Jewish people that lives in security and peace in the Middle East.” – Israel
Minion”
“Human progress cannot be denied?”
I know my reaction to those words; I can only imagine the reaction of many Muslims to a Western’s declaration that progress cannot be stopped. Indeed, these words reveal Obama to be a utopian as much as Bush was; Obama merely speaks more softly. For a Catholic, one has to recognize the commonality of the dehumanization of the utopianism through relativism of Obama and the neo-conservative utopianism through democracy and violence of Bush and be loath to applaud either one.
I felt Obama could have done a lot more, and it seems most Muslims agree (looking at the NYT’s survey of reactions). For all the hype, he had a better chance. I did, like JH, like his telling Arab regimes to actually care about the Palestinians.
“They did not say he is the new St. Francis, they said that everyboy should learn from St. Francis in showing respect to the Islamic world. Bush never showed such respect. He was a utopianist who wanted to kill the “evildoers” and remake the region in his own image.”
MM hate to come back to reality but did you read the Bush Cario Speech. Also I can’t help but notice during the DubaiPort Deal silliness Obama was not in the forefront in stoping the bispartisan Ilam bashing like Bush and McCain was
“It made a big difference in who was saying the words, though, and their respective histories and actions with respect to the Muslim world.”
Matt what repsctive histories are you referring too? Please give me Obama international statemenship in the Illinois State house
Speaking of speeches. Compare Bush’s speech on Women’s rights and the Bush Egypt Speech. Is Vox Nova all for this?
Seems like the main differecne between the Bush and Obama speech was Bush held Egypt’s feet to the fire on the people they are holding in jail. People by the way that hate the USA. Perhaps this is a perverse view of subsidarity. No doubt America will have an op-ed on it expalining it all
What respective histories are you referring too? Please give me Obama international statesmanship in the Illinois State house.
Jh, I was talking about the contrast between Obama’s personal history (childhood in Indonesia, “Hussein” is his middle name, etc.) versus Bush’s public policy history (starting the Iraq war, an imperial arrogance toward the Arab world) and how that might have shaped the listeners’ perceptions of both what was being said and also the credibility of the speakers.
I find a little funny that you guys think he says the same as Bush, when in fact the whole point of the speech was the negate the damage of the Bush years.
Obama has his head in the sand, Islam is not a religion of peace. The only peace that there is with Islam is if you are in the House of Islam.
Conservative reaction to the speech:
1) It was exactly the same as what Bush would have said. . . and that’s bad.
2) It was insufficiently attentive to the sensibilities of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood
3) It was exactly the same as what Bush would have said . . . and that’s good!
4) It was naive in its acceptance of the “Islam is a religion of peace” canard.
Pick any three of these. No need to listen to the speech.
Let “Goldblog” tell you right-wing Catholic nitwits, who can’t recognise greatness when it stares you in the face, how fast you and your chosen political camp are going onto the dustbin of history:
http://jeffreygoldberg.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/06/an_absolutely_extraordinary_mo.php
digby, You crack me up! I wish I had seen his speech. Words are powerful. The negative reaction is to be expected. Research in jury selection reveals that people will hold their to their prejudiced beliefs in spite of clear evidence opposed to these beliefs.
One thing that the world needs is hope. I continue to be amazed with the dismissive conservative response to the message of hope that Obama brings with his speeches and even more with his symbolic presence as a man of color who is elected as the leader of the world’s most powerful nation.
Rigidity is dangerous and projects hostility. Hostility breeds death.
Though the words that Obama and Bush spoke may have been similar, their effect is going to be very different. That’s because Obama has credibility, and Bush did not.
Chris:
I like bold claims like yours because they’re empirically testable, at least in principle. Is there a particular effect you’re predicting based on Obama’s credibility?
I find a little funny that you guys think he says the same as Bush, when in fact the whole point of the speech was the negate the damage of the Bush years.
Which would imply that the speech will ultimately be, despite laudable goals, a failure…why is this humorous, other than to laugh at Catholics who voted for Obama primarily because they wanted a shift in foreign policy?
“The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind”.
And this does / does not apply to abortion?
I was literally blown away…
Um, no you weren’t.
Words, words, words, words. Just like pro-lifers who hang on to the Republicans out of hope because of the lipservice they pay the pro-life cause you are just as gullible MM.
Yes, they are nice words. But Bush said basically the same thing in debates against Gore in 2000 where he stated we should be a mor humble nation and not get involved in nation building.
We are still in Iraq. We are engaged in troop escalations in Afghanistan. U.S. Troops are still stationed throughout the Middle East. Gitmo is still in operation. Prisonners are still being held indefinitely. Evidence of US war crimes is being swept under the rug. Rendition is still acceptable.
He may have better teleprompter skills than Bush, and he may say what the Islamic states want to hear. . . but words are meaningless without action and so far I have seen nothing different than what Bush would have done.
New Boss same as the old.
“He may have better teleprompter skills than Bush, and he may say what the Islamic states want to hear. . . but words are meaningless without action and so far I have seen nothing different than what Bush would have done.
New Boss same as the old.”
So, because in only six months Obama hasn’t completely reversed all of Bush’s policies concerning Iraq and the “war on terror”, then he is exactly the same as Bush?
Conservatives, and Americans in general were more than patient with Bush. It seems to me an honest neutrality, a genuine apolitical stance, requires that we wait another three weeks at least before declaring Obama “as bad as Bush”.
No?
“I was literally blown away…
Um, no you weren’t.”
Mark Shea:
YES!! When dealing with Obama supporters, no point is to petty to let slide!
Keep up the good work!
Gabriel,
As to your question asking if the Koranic quotation you cite applies to abortion, I believe Koranic scholars hold various and differing opinions.
So, because in only six months Obama hasn’t completely reversed all of Bush’s policies concerning Iraq and the “war on terror”, then he is exactly the same as Bush?
There is a difference between not having enough time to reverse the previous administration’s policies and expressly embracing the policies of the Bush Administration, which the Obama Administration has done in several cases.
xpressly embracing the policies of the Bush Administration, which the Obama Administration has done in several cases.
What cases, awakaman?
Not much “unity and peace” with Muslims in _Summa Contra Gentiles_.
Expressly embracing the policies of the Bush Administration, which the Obama Administration has done in several cases.
What cases, awakaman?
Holding prisoners indefinitely without trial and continued suspension of Habeus Corpus:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/21/AR2009052104045.html
Continued and expanded use of rendition, i.e. giving US prisoners to foreign parties to torture.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-v-santore/what-is-obamas-rendition_b_162927.html
Limited reduction of troops in Iraq while greatly expanding the number in Afghanistan, with continued and increased civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
I could go on but these are just a few of the major ones, regarding civil rights and foreign policy.
Kurt Says:June 6, 2009 at 7:25 pm
“Gabriel,
As to your question asking if the Koranic quotation you cite applies to abortion, I believe Koranic scholars hold various and differing opinions”.
Which is the problem with Islam. It is a religion. But there is no central authority. Who to believe?
Is there a definitive edition of the Koran?
[I note "scholars". Is the world dependent on scholars?]
Phosphorious:
People who use the word “literally” when they mean “figuratively” is one of my little English major things that make my eye twitch.
Gabriel,
My problem with Islam is that I believe in Jesus Christ as witnessed by the Nicene Creed and I don’t accept Mohammand as a prophet of God.
The fact that like Protestantism, Judaism, and Shintoism, it condemns killing but does not have a definitive teaching on abortion seems to be an important but secondary matter.
Yes, Islam, like Judaism is dependent on scholars (Imans, rabbis, etc).